


The Corner of the Cafe

by crazysone



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F, Fluffy, cafe setting, jinsoul makes jungeun's day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:41:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24838612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crazysone/pseuds/crazysone
Summary: Jungeun's date doesn't show up. Jinsoul debates on whether to cheer her up.
Relationships: Jung Jinsol | Jinsoul & Kim Jungeun | Kim Lip, Jung Jinsol | Jinsoul/Kim Jungeun | Kim Lip
Comments: 7
Kudos: 185





	The Corner of the Cafe

The moment the girl walked through the glass doors of the cafe, Jinsoul knew she was enamoured. 

She was beautiful, with her mane of luscious brown hair falling over her shoulders. Her eyes were lined with expertly-applied dark eyeliner, and everything from her cute nose, to her crimson lips and to her defined jawline screamed perfection. The girl made her way to a table at a corner of the semi-crowded cafe, pulling her black coat tighter around her as she did. Jinsoul knew that the table there suffered the brunt of the icy blast of the air conditioners. 

There was a loud ring of the bell, and Jinsoul hurried over behind the counter to take the tray of food. Through the small window looking into the kitchen, Jinsoul could see their head chef Sooyoung hard at work cooking up a wide array of dishes. 

“Two carbonaras, one lemonade, and one caramel latte.” The blonde stated in her pleasant customer-service voice as she set the plates and drinks down at a customer’s table. The couple thanked her graciously. Jinsoul smiled back at them. She was eternally grateful for nice customers, considering the rude ass ones that popped in time to time. 

Through the glass panel walls of the cozy cafe, Jinsoul could see the streetlights flickering on, casting a white glow on the darkening street. The sun had set, and the darkness of the night was starting to set in. A quick glance at her phone told her it was 7pm. Another 3 hours before she could get off work. 

“Hi, can I take your order?” 

The pretty brunette looked up from her phone. Jinsoul felt her breath hitch in her throat as they made eye contact. Up close, the girl was even prettier. She looked like she could easily be a celebrity. Gulping, Jinsoul tried to control the trembling of her suddenly clammy hands. The notepad in her tight grasp was getting wrinkled. 

“Oh, I’m waiting for my date.” Her voice was silky and smooth, and also managed to sound sultry at the same time. Jinsoul could feel the butterflies in her stomach at the girl’s mere voice. Then her brain processed what the girl just said, and the blonde’s shoulders slumped in dismay. 

Of course, of course a beauty like her would be seeing someone. 

“I’ll be back later to take your orders, then.” Jinsoul continued. 

“That’ll be great, thank you...Jinsoul.” The brunette smiled, red lips parting to reveal perfect white teeth. Her gaze flitted to the name tag on Jinsoul’s white shirt. Jinsoul felt the corners of her lips tug up, and she was grinning back at the girl. A grin that was way too big and happy for it to be her usual customer-service smile. 

The bell from the kitchen rang again, and Jinsoul scurried back to her counter. 

8pm, and the customers in the cafe were thinning. Their busiest times of the day would be during breakfast and lunch, when hungry corporate workers and haggard college students would pop in for a quick meal and their usual fix of caffeine. 

“Thank you for coming, see you next time!” Jinsoul chimed. The couple waved at her as they exited. 

The blonde held up an arm over her mouth, covering up her yawn. Working at a cafe while taking up a part-time degree was no easy feat. After knocking off work, she’ll have to rush home and start that damn essay that’s due tomorrow. Jinsoul was not at all looking forward to it. 

Her gaze flitted over to the brunette. Still sitting by her lonesome at the corner, fiddling with her phone. Her date hasn’t arrived, even after 1 hour. If Jinsoul was in her place, she would’ve left by now. The girl heaved a sigh, her entire form seemed to be sagging into the chair. Her black coat was buttoned up to her neck now. 

Finally, she stood up from her seat and walked towards the counter. Startled, Jinsoul hurriedly picked up a cloth, pretending to be wiping down the already spotless counter. From the back, there was a loud bang followed by a string of curses coming from Sooyoung. Probably another one of the junior chefs screwing up. 

“Hi.” The brunette was standing right by the counter now, palms lightly resting against the cold surface. Her neatly-manicured red nails drummed against the counter rhythmically. 

“Hey! What can I get you?” Jinsoul spluttered, her whole face suddenly heating up. 

“Just a caramel macchiato please.” 

After collecting the payment and stuffing it into the cash register, Jinsoul was about to go about making the drink when she remembered something. 

“Can I have your name please?” 

Even though there weren’t much customers around, and the name thing wasn’t really necessary now, it had become a habit for Jinsoul to ask for their names. From behind, Sooyoung was yelling something undecipherable again. 

“Jungeun.” 

Beautiful name for a beautiful girl. Jinsoul quickly bit down on her lip to stop that sentence from tumbling out from her big mouth. She could be insurmountably cheesy and awkward at times. 

As Jinsoul went to work concocting the drink, the brunette, Jungeun, trudged back to her seat. Jinsoul frowned, gazing at her phone. 8.30pm. Jungeun had been waiting for more than an hour now. 

Jinsoul drew a heart with the foam to the top of the coffee. She couldn’t help herself. Jungeun looked sad and alone now surrounded by tables of friends and couples, and Jinsoul wanted to at least see the girl’s pretty smile again. After making sure the heart looked perfect, Jinsoul opted to deliver the drink to Jungeun’s table instead of just calling her name. The brunette was playing with her fingers on her lap, blankly staring outside the windows of the cafe. 

“Hey, here’s your caramel macchiato.” Jinsoul’s voice seemed to snap her out of her daydream, and Jungeun straightened up in her seat. 

“Thank you.” Jungeun reached forwards, wrapping her fingers around the warm porcelain cup. A relieved sigh escaped her lips. She looked down at the heart, and another dazzling smile appeared on her lips. Jinsoul hoped she didn’t look like a blushing mess now. 

“Date hasn’t arrived?” Jinsoul asked casually. Jungeun’s eyebrows seemed to droop, and her posture deflated again. For a moment, Jinsoul was terrified she was going to start crying. 

“She’s just caught up in the traffic.” Jungeun chuckled emptily, her voice sounding bleak and strained. Jinsoul arched an eyebrow. Being almost 2 hours late to a date sounded like an immediate turn-off for Jinsoul, but Jungeun still seemed abit hopeful her date would show up, glancing furtively at the door. 

9.30pm. 30 minutes to closing time. The bulk of customers had left by now, leaving a distressed looking Jungeun in the cafe as the lone customer. Her caramel macchiato was untouched, and she stared at the heart on top of the coffee with a bitter expression on her face. 

“She looks like she’s going to cry.” Sooyoung had emerged from the kitchen, the sleeves of her smart black chef attire rolled up to her sleeves. The slender woman came to stand beside Jinsoul, their shoulders touching slightly. 

“Date gone bad.” Jinsoul replied simply. The past 30 minutes, she had been debating on whether she should approach Jungeun to talk. Maybe chatting with her would help the time pass by faster. Honestly, she didn’t even know why Jungeun was waiting anymore. At this point in time, it was clear that her date wasn’t going to show up. 

“Her date’s an asshole, for sure. It has been like what, 2 hours since she showed up?” Sooyoung shook her head in disbelief. 

“2 hours and a half.” Jinsoul said absentmindedly. Sooyoung turned to look at her with a questioning glance, but didn’t say anything. 

“I’m going to talk to her.” Jinsoul finally said, patting her hands on her pants. Sooyoung just nodded, a look of knowing in her eyes. The head chef always seemed to catch on to things quickly. 

“30 minutes to closing, keep it quick.” Sooyoung called as Jinsoul started her march towards Jungeun. The brunette looked up as the blonde waitress approached, her dark tear-filled eyes flickering in confusion. 

“Hey Jungeun, can I sit?” Jinsoul smiled, hoping she didn’t come off as creepy. Jungeun nodded meekly, and Jinsoul slid into the chair opposite the brunette. 

“Uh...I’ve noticed how you’ve been waiting for almost 3 hours now. Is your date still coming?” 

“She...she sent me a text at 7.30pm saying she’s going to be late...and she hasn’t replied to my texts since.” Jungeun mumbled. Her slender fingers tightened around the now cold coffee cup. Jinsoul pursed her lips, trying to bite back her comments on how Jungeun’s date was being a complete bitch. 

But then Jungeun buried her face in her hands, and started sobbing. Jinsoul’s eyes widened in shock, instinctively standing up. Jungeun’s shoulders trembled as she cried, and Jinsoul could hear the pained sobs escaping from her lips. Even when knowing basically nothing about Jungeun, Jinsoul still felt her heart aching. 

The blonde looked towards the counter helplessly. Sooyoung was urgently gesturing at her with her hands, mouthing at her to go comfort the crying girl. Jinsoul hurried to Jungeun’s side, slowly wrapping her arms around her shaking shoulders. At her hold, Jungeun just seemed to cry harder. 

The brunette turned in her chair, her hands gripping to the front of Jinsoul’s shirt for her dear life. Her head came to a rest in the crook of Jinsoul’s neck. The blonde could feel Jungeun’s warm breaths against her flesh, and that made her heart race like crazy in her chest. 

“You’re going to be okay...you’re going to be okay…” Jinsoul whispered, one hand reaching up to stroke Jungeun’s hair gently. Her hair was smooth and soft, warm under Jinsoul’s careful fingers. Jungeun shook her head, her hands retracting from Jinsoul’s chest to instead wrap around the blonde’s waist. 

Jinsoul let Jungeun cry on her, until the pained cries died down to sniffling. When she thought Jungeun was done, Jinsoul drew back slightly, keeping her hands on the other girl’s shoulders. Jungeun’s eyes were red and puffy, tears streaks marring her pale cheeks and her lips trembling. It was a natural reaction for Jinsoul to lean forwards, tenderly wiping the tears from Jungeun’s cheek with the pad of her thumb. 

“I...I’m so sorry…” Jungeun whimpered, her hands still tightly looped around Jinsoul’s waist. 

“It’s fine, Jungeun.” Jinsoul grinned reassuringly, tucking a strand of hair behind Jungeun’s ear. The brunette smiled up at her. It was a weak, teary smile, but a smile nonetheless. The blonde turned to look behind her shoulder. Sooyoung had emerged from the kitchen, having changed out of her chef outfit. Junior chefs Chaewon and Hyejoo trudged out behind her, curious eyes glancing over to them. 

“Closing time!” Sooyoung mouthed at her. Jinsoul nodded back. 

“Hey, I’m so sorry, but we have to close the place down now.” Jinsoul said to Jungeun. 

“Oh! Ah, yes, sure...I’m sorry for holding you up…” Jungeun stood up, slinging her handbag over her shoulder. The brunette sniffled, wiping away at her eyes with the sleeve of her coat. 

“Do you...have a ride?” Jinsoul asked. 

“Uh...I took the bus here...my date was supposed to fetch me back home but…” Jungeun’s weak voice trailed off. 

“I can give you a ride.” Jinsoul spoke eagerly. It was one of the days when she had been running late to work, so she had borrowed Haseul’s car to speed her way over to the cafe. Thank god for waking up late. 

“Oh, it’s okay I don’t wanna burden you anymore...I can just catch the bus home…”

“I insist! It’s not safe for a woman to take the bus at this hour anyways!” Jinsoul continued. That was a blatant lie, as she usually took the late night bus home herself. 

“...Thank you.” 

“Just lemme grab my things from the back, wait here!” Jinsoul called, scampering towards the back of the counter. Sooyoung had taken the liberty to switch off the lights, so Jinsoul hurriedly shoved her black hoodie over her head and snatched her backpack from under the counter. 

They walked out of the cafe, Jinsoul locking the glass doors behind her. The quiet night air was chilly, and Jungeun seemed to shiver even under her coat. 

As they made their way to the back of the cafe where Jinsoul had parked Haseul’s car, the blonde couldn’t help but realise that Jungeun’s hands were trembling. In a sudden moment of bravery, Jinsoul reached out, intertwining their fingers together. Jungeun’s fingers felt icy in her hand. The brunette tightened her grip, and Jinsoul could swear she saw Jungeun’s face flush red in the dark. 

They slid into the car, and Jinsoul immediately turned the heat up. Reaching to the backseat, Jinsoul grabbed a blanket. As to why Haseul kept blankets in the backseat of her car, Jinsoul had no idea. But this time she was silently sending thanks to her friend. 

“Here.” Jinsoul handed the fluffy blanket to Jungeun. 

“Thank you, Jinsoul.” Jungeun smiled, draping the blanket gratefully over her arms. Jungeun typed down her address into Jinsoul’s phone, letting the trusty GPS find their way. Surprisingly, her apartment was somewhat nearby Jinsoul’s. What a coincidence, Jinsoul thought as she pulled the car onto the main road. 

Somewhere in the middle of cruising down peaceful streets, Jungeun had fallen asleep. Her head rested against the side of the glass, the blanket in her lap. Her lips were parted slightly, and Jinsoul felt the heat rush to her face again. 

30 minutes later, Jinsoul pulled to a gentle stop in front of Jungeun’s apartment complex. The blonde turned, staring at Jungeun’s sleeping form. The brunette looked so peaceful now, a complete opposite from her breakdown in her cafe. Jinsoul couldn’t bear to wake her. 

So Jinsoul sat there in silence, just looking tenderly at the sleeping beauty, listening to Jungeun’s quiet breathing. Jinsoul had no idea how much time had passed, but when she looked down at her phone to see that it was 11.30pm, her eyes almost bulged out of her sockets. She still had that damn essay to write. 

“Jungeun…Jungeun wake up you’re home…” Jinsoul leaned over, patting the brunette’s shoulder lightly. Jungeun shot awake with a start, her confused stare flickering around the interior of the car. Then her eyes settled on Jinsoul, and she heaved a sigh of relief. 

They stepped out of the warm car, facing the lit-up entrance of the apartment building. Before Jinsoul could blurt out an awkward goodbye, Jungeun had surged forwards to wrap her arms around Jinsoul. The blonde stood there dumbly for a few seconds, before engulfing the smaller girl in a tight hug. 

Jungeun was just the perfect height for her. Her head could rest snugly in Jinsoul’s chest, and the blonde could place her chin on top of the crown of her head. Jinsoul sighed. Jungeun’s hair smelled heavenly. 

“Thank you, Jinsoul...thank you so much…” Jungeun whispered, looking up to place a gentle kiss on Jinsoul’s burning cheeks. Her lips were soft and warm, and Jinsoul felt like melting into a soft puddle on the sidewalk. 

“By the way, do you mind giving me your number?” Jungeun stepped back slightly, handing her phone to the blonde. Jinsoul couldn’t keep the stupid smile off her face as she tapped her number into the phone with nervous hands. 

“Let’s keep in contact?” Jungeun smiled, her hand trailing down from Jinsoul’s waist to clasp her hand. 

“Of course.” Jinsoul nodded earnestly, swiping her thumb along the knuckles of Jungeun’s hand. 

After watching Jungeun slip into the apartment complex, Jinsoul dived back into her car, slammed the door shut, and squealed in joy. The blonde fished out her phone, clutching it to her chest expectantly. 

Not a minute later, her phone vibrated. Jinsoul almost dropped it from how fast she clicked on the notification. 

unknown: hey jinsoul. jungeun here!

jinsoul: heyyyyy

jungeun: haha really thank you for tonight jinsoul. I don’t know what I’d do without you

Jinsoul could almost see Jungeun’s smile as she typed that. 

jungeun: when are you free? we should meet for lunch or something if you’re down!

After responding, Jinsoul drove the whole way home with a big beam on her face, excited to see Jungeun again. And again. And again.

**Author's Note:**

> scream at me on twitter! @crazysone3


End file.
